Government urged to amend parks legislation, clarify what's permitted on protected land

Francis Campbell Saltwire - November 1, 2023 Full article published here

Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton - Saltwire

Nadine Hunt has lived through two recent battles to protect the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park from an on-site golf course development. She doesn’t want to do it again.

“I can’t understand it,” Hunt said.

“All it seemingly requires is a little bit of language change, wording to strengthen the (Provincial) Parks Act so that certain activities are just not permitted in certain parks. I don’t think it’s a major ask, I don’t think it’s controversial and I don’t think it’s that difficult to do. I don’t know why the will is not there to do it.”

A provincial government Parks and Protected Areas Plan from a decade ago called for a review and update of the act and associated regulations by 2013 to ensure that protection of heritage values is a priority.

"It’s just not fair for the government to allow this kind of thing to fester. There’s an easy, easy way to put a stop to it right away." “It’s not fair that the local people have to stand up and mount a campaign to protect a park that is a natural environment provincial park,” Hunt said.

“We shouldn’t have to stand up and justify the protection of a place like that. The legislation should be doing that for us.”

Read the full article here.